Student Works

Lubrizol: Engaging with Universities to Gain a Fresh Perspective to Understanding Problems

Executive Summary

Lubrizol, a designer and manufacturer of specialty chemicals for the transportation, industrial and consumer markets, is a leader in many of the markets it serves. Despite their success, Lubrizol is not terribly well known outside their industry. This can pose a dilemma where an organization can risk becoming trapped by their success. As Lubrizol has had the luxury of being able to hire the brightest and best, their perspectives within their areas of specialization can limit these individuals as well. When this occurs, what's needed is a fresh perspective to infuse the organization with new ideas and ways to find and solve problems.

Lubrizol recognizes this risk and has responded to this situation by creating a formal and structured process for problem finding that depends on employees and customers. While this may be an effective approach, its primary limitation is the method relies on the perspective within Lubrizol.

We would like to present our concept, the Lubrizol Challenge, which is designed to build relationships with university students and faculty to gain fresh external perspectives for solving Lubrizol problems.

The Weatherhead School of Management is different from other business schools. We are bold in our ideas, creative in our approach, and adaptive in our interactions within a changing business environment. We've enhanced traditional management education by integrating the fundamentals of business with ideas and practices that change individuals, organizations and societies. At Weatherhead, we develop leaders as good global citizens who innovate to create sustainable value.Founded in
1939.
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